Movie

Drifting Clouds

1996 · 97 min

A deadpan, bittersweet struggle through unemployment that finds quiet dignity and hope in the face of relentless hardship.

Overview: The ever-poker-faced Ilona loses her job as a restaurant hostess, as her tram driver husband, Lauri, also finds himself out of work. Together they must hit the streets of Helsinki, facing up to hardship and humiliation in their quest for survival, guided through the gloom by a ray of hope.

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: melancholicstrength 3 of 3
warmstrength 2 of 3
cynicalstrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 2 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: survival
work
family
class
isolation
Places: big city
workplace
home
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: None
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex none

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	1
Horror	0
Humour	5
Realism	8
Romance	4
Tension	4
Darkness	6
Complexity	4
Emotional weight	7

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Where to watch in the UK

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Details

Genres: drama
Directed by: Aki Kaurismäki
Written by: Aki Kaurismäki
Starring: Kati Outinen, Kari Väänänen, Elina Salo, Sakari Kuosmanen, Markku Peltola, Matti Onnismaa, Shelley Fisher, Markus Allan
Music: Shelley Fisher
Cinematography: Timo Salminen
Runtime: 97 min
Country: Finland, France, Germany
Languages: Finnish, Swedish

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Drifting Clouds

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